Officials tested the fox for rabies because of its aggressive behavior in attacking the boy and his mother Thursday afternoon at Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth. Mother and son sought refuge in a bathroom while an unarmed ranger used a weed trimmer to scare away the fox.

Department spokeswoman Jeanne Curran says the episode began when the fox nipped at a ranger at the park entrance. Then the fox reappeared at the playground, where it bit the boy on the hand and leg before going after his mother.